Thought some here might find these interesting:
http://elitepowersolu...


At first glance more expensive than the 48V 20Ah Ping packs:
http://www.pingbatter...



... $714.20 from Elite vs $598.00 Ping, BUT the Elite package comes with a 6A charger, while Ping only offers a 2A charger with a 5A charger as a upgrade for an additional $44...

Ping adds a flat $145 for shipping. Elite doesn't say how much for shipping, only that the charge will be billed at time of shipping (they only take payments by Paypal.)

And while the Pings are fairly "no-name" cells, the Elite packs use GBS who are a known manufacturer:
http://www.gbsystem.c...

Pings packs (cells) are also only rated for 1C continuous discharge rates, while the GBS cells are rated 2C. Ya don't *need* 2C for standard (legal) ebikes... that's 1920W! But it means the GBS pack will never EVen be breathing hard in an ebike... so should translate as longer life.

GBS cells are actually LiFeMnPO4. Ping only says LiFePO4.

GBS also claims "Our company owns patented environmental friendly solvent binder (which replaces “PVDF”)" ...no idea watt Ping supplies...

I'm also liking the fact the Elite pack comes as four discrete bricks watt might make it easier to retrofit into existing battery cases replacing SLA batteries...

Elite offers a one year warranty, while Ping doesn't say but has a good reputation for addressing problems...

tks
Lock

HA! I see I mentioned these here almost a year ago:
http://www.ebikerider...

Forgetful... this old age business is highly overrated...


LocK

Amazing!

http://lifepo4.in/ind...

CODD Power is offering *A123* cells (nano-LiFePO4) boxed up as eg 20Ah 48V for $608 including 4A charger and shipping:
http://lifepo4.in/48v...

At lifecycle good for 1,200-2,000 cycles, FAR cheaper than lead acid...

Yay! Yay! Go Lithium Go!

Lock

If those are genuine A123 cells that is an awesome deal!

Amazing!

http://lifepo4.in/ind...

CODD Power is offering *A123* cells (nano-LiFePO4) boxed up as eg 20Ah 48V for $608 including 4A charger and shipping:
http://lifepo4.in/48v...

I agree, this looks great..hopefully prices continue to improve.

This brings me to a question I have been thinking about for a while. Maybe someone out there can give some guidance. I own one of these bikes with the "non-removeable" batteries (similar to a Gatto or Volare). They are not really non-removeable - just more work to do it. See Gatto Battery Replacement for the specifics.

Now, my bike then has 2 battery compartments and each one now houses 2 x 12V 20AH SLA batteries. I believe each of these 2 battery compartments is about (L x W x H) 7.13" x 6.2" x 6.54" or maybe slightly larger (I will measure carefully next time I disassemble). In any case each accomodates 2 batteries nicely. So when I go lithium, I believe I will need to use one or both of these compartments to put the batts in. If I had my way, I'd fill both up with as much capacity as would fit (and I could afford).

So here's my Q's:

• Can you get these things made to a specific form factor from individual cells?
  
• Would this have to be a DIY project? I would prefer to buy a pre-packaged solution, but form factor becomes an issue.
  
• For example. I checked the link for this 48V 20AH package referenced above and it has dimensions of approx 14.8" x 10.9" x 5.1" and therefore I don't believe would fit in either of my compartments.
  

My ideal solution would be 2 x 24V packs that would each fit in one of my compartments and I would join them in series (as is being done now with the SLA's) or possibly 2 x 48V packs at lower amperage which I could join in parallel.

Apologies for the long winded note and it is not an immediate issue as I will not be changing right away, but any thoughts welcome.

I know Ping will custom make the pack to fit your specifications for dimensions.

I would like to look into these since after winter my sister-in-law warned me that my lead batts need to be charged once a month. Now I recycled/recharged the batts but am still down to about 20% of the former range. Perhaps since she is an importer would it be better to go through her for a better price or deal directly with the manufacturer here in Canada? Also would I be better to stick with the lead acid?

...

Now I recycled/recharged the batts but am still down to about 20% of the former range.
...
Also would I be better to stick with the lead acid?

If I were in this situation, and if I could afford the Lithium battery, I would go with the Lithium - NO second thought.

Besides, with the exchange rate being so close to the USD, it makes even more sense to go with Lithium.

File this under Stuff coming down the Pipe...

Soon to be available:


Some specs:

The combination of lithium nano-titanate oxide (Li4Ti5O12) anode and lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) cathode is a leading candidate for this application. This combination of electrode materials provides a high degree of safety, long cycle life and rapid charge in 5 minutes.The advantages of Li4Ti5O12 are high stable structure without passivation, flat voltage profile of 1.5 V, high safety and low cost. The electrochemical investigation was carried out using 18650 cell with standard organic electrolyte, and the cell demonstrated a remarkable cycle life (see Fig.1). A very stable discharge capacity was obtained at a 5C discharge rate (12 minutes) and 15C charge rate (4 minutes). The capacity remained almost constant at 850 mAh/g for approximately 30,000 cycles at 100% DOD [1]. Security tests was performed on the 18650 cell in the charged state after 30,000 cycles. The crush test (see Fig 2) showed a maximum temperature of 72°C. The nail penetration test revealed that the cell reached a maximum temperature of 103°C, with a small amount of electrolyte escaping from the cell. Finally, a short-circuit test showed a maximum temperature of 63°C. For all three tests no smoke, no flames and no explosion were observed.Because of these significant and promising results, PHET (Taiwan) developed a unique system of protection for EV battery packs consisting of 18650 cells.

These cells actually have a fairly low energy density. For the same Wh-size pack, not much weight diff. than the lead-acid we know and...love...

But imagine a "lead" pack that lasts ONE HUNDRED times longer than "normal"...

A 48V 20Ah "lead" pack that takes a full charge in just FOUR MINUTES...

Lock

Re CODD Power, seen here:
http://endless-sphere...

The last quote clarifies that Coddpower gets their batteries from DLG, not A123.
On their Website DLG says that they supply batteries for K2 batteries in USA and for LG. So here is a link to the spec page of the DLG batteries.
http://www.dlgbattery...

If you notice there is a link to their "online mart" on Alibaba located on the upper right of the DLG page as follows,
http://dlgbattery.en....

and:

these guys are a huge company and know what theyre doing. i bought a 60v 20ah LifPo4 pack off them and it was way cheaper then ping. ping was going to give me a pack with 2 amp charger for $300 more then codd wanted to charge me. theyre competitive so what doesnt mean theyre a rip off. for much cheaper codd made me the 60v20ah pack, SIX amp charger, bms and carrying bag. not too bad it all came to under $700 including the hst/tax and duty fees. cool thing was they let me decide what i wanted to declare the value at to save money at customs so only had to pay $40 for tax and duty.